Picture Play Magazine (Oct-Nov 1915)

PICTURE-PLAY WEEKLY 19 heople concerned were of such promilence that the story was played up on the front pages. : Weeks passed, and it seemed as " though Walker had ceased to fight the ;it Efforts of Tom Mason. The boss, however, was waiting for the psychological 1 foment to spring a trap which would * "(jring disgrace on the man he hated. 3 n Through the aid of a decoy letter, AValker succeeded in luring Margaret Macy to a disreputable resort. The time :r' had come to strike. A raid on the aouse with Margaret Macy caught in :he net, a newspaper story playing up the friendship existing between Mason and Margaret, and the mayor would be discredited. Hardly had Margaret entered the lace before the clang of the patrols-agon bell was heard in the street. Quickly the police surrounded the house. The captain pounded on the front door for admittance. Inside could be heard a chorus of startled (feminine shrieks. Scarcely giving the inmates of the place time to don their street attire, the police hurried the women into the patrol wagon and dashed off to police headquarters. Through the columns of the Record, which he controlled, Walker played up the fact that the girl who had been the cause of the breaking of the engagement between Mayor Mason and Ruth Rising had been captured in the raid on one of the most disreputable reports in the city. Walker went e^-en I'tfarther, and charged the mayor, through the paper, with accepting graft from the women of the underworld. The scandal was on the lips of every one. It seemed as if Boss Walker's i|plan of revenge would be consummated. When Will Macy learned of the fate ithat had befallen his sister, he lost no (time in seeking out Walker. S "You can't get away with it, Walker," Ifebouted Macy, as he confronted the boss. "I've done a lot of dirty work 1 For you, but you shan't drag my sister I into your rotten game." "Why, you cheap little grafter," thundered Walker, "I can put you away, too, and don't you forget it ! I've got enough stuff on you to send you over the road for a nice long stay." "Maybe you have, but you don't dare use it, because I can tell too much about ;you." ! "You miserable crook " ffjl Walker never completed the sentence. With a swinging right to the jaw, Macy sent the boss to the floor. Gaining his feet, Walker hurried to police headquarters and swore out a warrant for the arrest of Will Macy, charging him with assault. Matters were moving with lightninglike rapidity. A meeting of the council had been called for that evening to take up the charges made against the mayor in the early editions of the Record. Walker was jubilant; before the close of the day he hoped to see Tom Mason impeached. In the office of the chief of police sat Will and Margaret Macy and the head of the police department. Attentively the chief listened to the story of Margaret and her brother, which conclusively showed that there was a conspiracy afoot, backed by Walker and Humphries, to disgrace the mayor. It was late in the afternoon before the interview was finally brought to a conclusion. "You two will wait here until to-night, when we will go to the council chamber and confront Walker with the evidence you have furnished. When you tell your story to the councilmen, I am sure that they will not be in such a hurry to remove his honor.'' In the midst of the council meeting, Will and Margaret, accompanied by the chief, entered the council chamber. Walker gave a gasp of astonishment. Humphries was plainly nervous. "Mr. President," said the chief, addressing the head of the council, "before you go any farther, I would like to have the councilmen hear the stories of these two young people. I am firmly convinced of the truth of their stories, and I feel that you will also be convinced when they have finished." Clearly and concisely, Margaret and Will told of the letter which had been written by Mammie Cameron. The chief of police corroborated this evidence by swearing that Walker's thumb print appeared in the lower left-hand corner of the sheet of note paper. The chief based his declaration on the fact that there was a peculiar scar on Walker's thumb. Bit by bit the evidence was pilec? up. Before Will had finished telling of the efforts of Walker to discredit the mayor, public opinion had veered round to Tom Mason, and those present were willing to agree that Boss Walker was more unprincipled than any had dreamed. "Mr. President," said one of the councilmen, "I move that the proceedings against the mayor be immediately dropped, and that this body go on record as being in thorough accord with his efforts to clean up the city." The other members of the body forgot all rules of parliamentary procedure and cheered the resolution which was unanimously carried. Tom Mason lost no time in swearing out warrants for the arrest of Walker, Humphries, and the other members of the ring, charging them with conspiracy. Two days after the arrest of Walker and his henchmen, Margaret Macy, accompanied by a girl friend, called on the mayor in his office. "Miss Macy," said Tom, clasping her hand, "I can't tell you how much I thank you for the efforts made by you and your brother to clear my name." "We were glad to do it." Their eyes met, and in the glance that passed between them was somethingmore than friendship. WATCH next week's issue for an important announcement in relat ion to PICTURE-PLAY WEEKLY It concerns you